Brown's Rise: From McGrady's Advice to MVP Contender

0:00It's April 8th. This is Boston Celtics News today, powered by AI everything happening with your team. I'm Corey, with the story. Back in the 2018-19 NBA season, the Boston Celtics fell short of big expectations, losing in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Jalen Brown hit a rough patch too, with his minutes in stats dropping after a breakout year before that. He started just 25 games that season, down from 70 the prior one. A few months later, with Kyrie Irving and Al Hoerford heading out in free agency, Brown faced a tough call on this future. He reached out to NBA legend Tracey McGrady, a close friend, for straight talk on whether to stay or bounce. McGrady played the voice of reason, pointing out the killer potential Brown had alongside Jason Tatum. He saw how the Celtics organization could build around that duo and push them over the top, especially since they've been tight on the court already. Fast forward, and that advice paid off huge.

1:01Brown stuck around, turned into an all NBA star, grabbed finals MVP honors in 2024, and helped choice Banner 18 after beating the Dallas Mavericks. Now he's right in the MVP mix this year. With the 2026 playoffs looming, the Celtics sit as the number two seed in the East. Heavy favorites to repeat the run. Brown and Tatum got that shot at ring number two. Including on the foundation, McGrady helped spot years back.